"Orange Is the New Black's" Michelle Hurst Wakes Up From Coma After Car Accident

Receive the latest entertainment-news updates in your inbox

Michelle Hurst attends the premiere of the Netflix original series "Orange is the New Black" on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 in New York.

Michelle Hurst, who plays Miss Claudette on the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black," woke up from a medically induced coma Thursday morning.

According to a fundraising page, the actress is currently in the ICU at UNC Chapel Hill Hospital and is responsive. The page asks for donations to help Michelle's sister pay for her medical expenses and the time she's taken off of work.

So far, the fundraiser has been a success--raising $8,684 out of their $5,000 goal.

The page gave fans an update about her current condition, saying, "She is progressing slowly, but progressing!"

The administrator added, "She is out of the coma (after 16 days) and has opened her eyes!"

Michelle was involved in a car accident shortly before the holidays and had such "major injuries" that "the doctors put her in a medically-induced coma to avoid movement while they did surgeries."

Piper Kerman, the author of the memoir which inspired the show, tweeted a link to the page Thursday morning.

Natasha Lyonne also posted the page on her social media site, tweeting, "Please give what you can to help Michelle Hurst--the amazing actress who plays Ms. Claudette on OITNB."

The second season of the hit series is due to hit screens later this year, but there's been no word yet on whether Hurst's character, a longtime inmate who briefly becomes roommates with Taylor Schilling's Piper character, would be returning.